Discussion of Prior Art
Due to increasing concern with respect to loss of topsoil caused by erosion, conservationists and farmers alike have searched for new ways of farming which will reduce the amount of soil loss. From this concern arose the concept of "no till" farming. The farmer eliminates the step of tilling the stubble left from a harvested crop prior to the planting of a new crop. The new crop is planted directly into the standing stubble. The stubble is effective in holding moisture in the soil regardless of the condition of the terrain. Because of its water retention capabilities, the stubble greatly reduces the amount of surface water runoff from a field area. In addition, the stubble also greatly reduces the loss of topsoil through the eroding action of wind and water runoff. It also reduces the amount of herbicide and fertilizer losses which are normally caused by wind and water runoff from a field area.
Because of the important concepts surrounding the use of "no till" method of farming is the minimization of soil disturbance, there has been a great deal of research and effort directed toward developing apparatus and methods for simultaneously planting and fertilizing a crop in a single pass across a field area. In addition to minimizing the amount of soil disruption, the ability to fertilize and seed a crop in one pass across the field area also can cut in half the time it takes to seed and fertilize crop. Thus, the same amount of machinery can seed and fertilize a much larger area than if two separate passes were necessary. This also greatly reduces the amount of fuel and labor required to run the farm machinery for the planting operation.
There has been a considerable amount of research and experimentation directed toward finding the optimum use of fertilizer and relating to its placement with respect to the rows of seed which have been planted. Research has shown that the fertilizer should be placed in subsurface or "deep" bands at a depth below the depth of the seed in the seed rows. This fertilizer placement provides the most efficient access to the fertilizer by the crop and minimizes competition from surrounding weed roots.
Hyde and Simpson at Washington State University carried out extensive research from 1977 through 1982 regarding fertilizer placement directly below the seed and also to the side of the seed. WSU Field Days Jun. 26, 1979, Page 48; WSU Field Days Jun. 25, 1981, page 54; WSU Field Days Jul. 10, 1980, Page 47; ASAE Paper PNW 81-305, "No Till Drill Placement of Fertilizer in Small Grain Production", Hyde and Simpson report experimenting with banded fertilizer below the seed, beside the seed, in the seed row and broadcast and at no time considered or proposed a cross row feeding system. Machinery used in testing placed fertilizer and seed on 16 inch centers, 8 in centers or with 9 inch seed centers and broadcast fertilizer.
Cooperative Extension at Washington State University filed an extensive report on fertilizer placement in 1980. Dr. Carl Engle, Dr. Al Halvorson, and Dr. Fred Koehler reported the advantages and disadvantages of fertilizer placement in bulletin No. EM 4547. Neither the method nor the apparatus of this invention is discussed in whole or in part in this publication.
USDA Scientist Dr. Paul Rasmussen reported his finding from the Pendleton Research Station in Better Crops, fall of 1985. He talks about the five ways to fertilize a no till crop. At no time does this report consider or discuss the possibility of narrow rows accessing nondedicated deep bands of fertilizer with, or in addition to primary deep fertilizer bands.
In November 1983 the Farm Journal reporter Glen Lorang reported a new seeding concept called paired row as well as the machinery available to place fertilizer directly below the seed. The article illustrates a system designed by the inventor Guy Swanson at Yielder Pioneer. The present invention is not included in this report, nor would the apparatus function under the method of this invention because of the impossibility of adjusting the described equipment to the configuration necessary to carry out the method of this invention.
The No Till Farmer in January of 1986 did a complete report on the various no till planters and no till drills. The various types of fertilizer placement tools and techniques are listed in the publication included. This compendium makes no comment regarding cross row feeding, nor is there included any speculation about the concept.
In September 1986, John Harapiak and Jim Beaton published a review of phosphorus fertilizer considerations for the Great Plains. The author discusses dual N-P banding, new planting technique, residual fertilizer and how it affects new crop production, band distance from the seed row, enhanced phosphate efficiency, nitrogen interference with phosphate (P) uptake from dual N-P bands and influence of nitrogen source on potential for N interference. There is no discussion speculation about the present invention in this publication.
J. T. Harapiak and N. A. Flore presented a paper at the Great Plains Soil Fertility Workshop, March 1986. The paper, entitled "Nitrogen Interference with P Uptake from Dual N-P Bands", discusses the importance of nitrogen concentration in a fertilizer band of Nitrogen and Phosphate. No system is proposed or discussed regarding the present invention.
Intensive Wheat Management, by Edward S. Oplinger and Daniel Wersman, Cooperative Extension, University of Wisconsin, 1985 discusses techniques for maximizing wheat yields. Cross row feeding at any row spacing or any seed rate is not proposed or discussed.
Landowners Magazine in May of 1989 discusses a new seed opener, the New Zealand Cross Slot. This new seed opener places a fertilizer charge to the side of the seed row. The equipment described in this article is incapable of carrying out the method of the present invention and is not designed to move residue or create a soil tillage strip.
"The Pacific Northwest No Till Guide", by Guy Swanson, 1981, Pioneer Drill Inc., explains many of the new fertilizer methods of no till farming. Guy Swanson adopted paired row to Pioneer and Yielder no-till drills. The article discussed paired row and equilateral row space. No reference to cross row feeding is made. In the "paired row" concept, a single fertilizer band is placed between two seed rows. While effective, this concept is wholly different from the present invention.
G. J. Swanson, December 1988, "The Green Link", Bumper Times, discusses the findings of Dr. Albert Roveria of Australia whereby the disease Rhizoctonia can be controlled by means of an 8 inch wide tillage strip in the no till seedings. The article does not discuss a residue removal knife operating with a deep running blade to clear a path 8 inches wide for improved stand establishment as the present invention does.
An article from Farm Show, January 1988 "Double Seeding Stops Weeds, Boosts Yields" discusses why narrow rows (31/2") actually eliminates or reduces the need for herbicides. No consideration is given for fertilizer band placement in relation to seed rows and the narrow spacing is for tillage systems only. In the system described, fertilizer is placed in a separate operation and fertilizer bands are not aligned with seed rows.
On Oct. 10, 1988, Guy Swanson, the publisher of Bumper Times released an article discussing the most advanced standards for producing winter wheat in a paper titled "Winter Wheat Production Standards." The article discusses band concentration, band spacing and seed row spacing. Several supporting articles are noted. Neither the main article nor the supporting articles discuss a method or apparatus for cross row feeding.
New Zealand scientist Dr. C. John Baker of Massey University discusses his invention in a brochure entitled "The Bio-Blade Opener". Dr. Baker discusses such factors as minimum surface disturbance and a mulch cover over the seed. A scalloped disc is used to fracture soil with most disturbance below the surface in the seed zone. The opener is designed as a no tillage opener. Dr. Baker points out: "No other opener separates seed and fertilizer into two distinct horizontal bands which enhances fertilizer utilization and avoids fertilizer seed burn." Dr. Baker's New Zealand opener has evolved based on a need which is not evident in North America. This opener will not move and stack residue to the side of the seed row. It will not place NH.sub.3 deep in the soil away from the seed. The opener as advertized places a toxic fertilizer charge to the side of the seed thus placing fertilizer outside the rooting cone and not providing an initial seminal root access. This opener does not place fertilizer sufficiently deep to provide plant seminal root access to more than one band of NPKS. The placement of seed and fertilizer at the same elevation in the soil is contrary to the teachings of this patent. Dr. Baker reports ". . . this outwardly tapering shatter zone encourages root growth." This is most contrary to the teachings of this invention in which seed is placed on firm, unshattered, moisture laden soil to promote osmotic moisture flow. Dr. Baker also states that ". . . Organic mulches are well recognized as moisture traps for seed beds; the New Zealand Bio-Blade opener simply insures that the organic residue remains in the most important place of all--directly above the seed zone." The teachings of the present invention indicate that when surface organic matter, soil active chemicals, and dry soil are removed from the area directly above the seed, yields are enhanced substantially and the cropping systems are more consistent, persistent and productive.
G. M. Paulson, 1985, "Wheat Stand Establishment", KSU 85-110-B Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, reports that two opposite trends in row spacing are evident: Narrow rows for intensive management and wide rows for conservation tillage and intercropping systems. [re: Chan, 1980, "Relay Intercropping Soybeans Into Winter Wheat and Spring Oats", Agronomy Jouranl 72:35-39, and Fenster, 1977, "Conservation Tillage for Wheat in the Great Plains", USDA Ext. Ser. PA-1190, 32 pgs.]
Another reference which gives information contrary to the findings of this inventor is exemplified by the statements: "Cross drilling, however, gives the same grain yields as unidirectional drilling.", and "Under low soil moisture, substantial differences in row spacing may not affect grain yield." re: Ketata, 1976, "Response of Three Hard Red Winter Wheat Cultivars to Four Planting Arrangements", Agronomy Journal, 68:428-429. The responses to multiple closely-spaced fertilizer rows by wheat in a single row was discovered by this inventor in an accidental cross drilling. The above "facts" have been found to be untrue doctrines in view of the new serendipitous discovery of cross row feeding. The new seeding apparatus of this invention further enhances the method. Previous teachings regarding row spacing, band spacings and residue manipulation are nullified by this invention.
Dr. Roger Wilson of the Tennessee Valley Authority discusses phosphate efficiency in a January 87 paper "Ortho Phosphate v.s. Poly Phosphate". Dr. Wilson does not suggest or propose a cross row feeding system to improve immobile P efficiency.
Research and testing indicate fertilizer placement can be either in a band directly beneath the seeds or in bands below and to the side of the seed row. However, research has indicated that there is a potential problem in placing fertilizer in a band directly beneath the seeds since it risks accidental damage to the seeds by physical contact with the active fertilizer elements. This problem is pointed out in an article entitled "Fertilizer Management And Conservation Tillage of Pacific Northwest Cereals" published in Better Crops in the fall of 1985 by Paul E. Rasmussen, PhD, which indicated that anhydrous ammonia injected directly below the seed is not recommended because of possible migration into the seed zone without proper closure of soil behind the shank.
One problem with deep side banding of fertilizer associated with a single row of seed is that for each row of seed, a deep band of fertilizer is required. In addition, any weeds which are on the opposite side of the deep banded fertilizer from the seed row have the same access to the fertilizer as do the desired crop plants.
It has been determined through tests that a better system of utilizing subsurface banding of fertilizer is to place the subsurface band of fertilizer below and between two parallel seed rows. This has two advantages over single side banding. First, only one band of fertilizer is necessary to fertilize two seed rows. Secondly, with a row of seeds on each side of the banded fertilizer, each row has equal access to the fertilizer which reduces access to the fertilizer by weeds. This method of planting seed crops is shown in Italian Patent No. 525,840 to Panichi, granted May 11, 1955, published in August of 1957. The Panichi patent discloses apparatus for planting two parallel rows of seeds and depositing fertilizer beneath the ground between the rows of seeds. The Panichi patent also recognizes the problem of seed damage when the fertilizer was placed directly with the seeds.